Antagonistic Actinomycetes Mediated Resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum lycopersicon</Emphasis> Mill. Against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis> Kühn

Actinomycetes are a major group of beneficial microbes, which can be explored as spanking alternative to chemical fungicides for providing defense against phytopathogens. Rhizoctonia solani is a major havoc causing severe loss to many crops. Biological measures for fungal disease management are desired over the available chemical/synthetic fungicides owing to their safety towards non-target organisms. In the present study, 34 actinomycetes were isolated from vermicompost. Out of them, twelve revealed antifungal activity related to Indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophores and plant growth promotion. Under greenhouse and field conditions, these potent strains remarkably enhanced yield attributes and disease diminution as compared to untreated control. A significant disease reduction of 47–63 % against R. solani was observed in tomato plants pretreated with actinomycetes. Furthermore, induction in defense related enzymes such as peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, accumulation of phenolics and flavonoids were also observed in actinomycetes treated plants. Morphological and molecular characterization analysis identified these potent isolates as Streptomyces sp. NBM3, Streptomyces sp. NBM2, Streptomyces sp. NBM1, Streptomyces sp. NBM12 and Streptomyces sp. NBM8. The present findings suggest that these microbes can be utilized for significant enhancement of plant growth and augmentation of defense related enzymes in order to cope up with R. solani induced stress, thereby contributing to crop health.     

Remote Patient Monitoring in IBD: Current State and Future Directions

Purpose of Review

Mobile apps are now increasingly used in conjunction with telemedicine and wearable devices to support remote patient monitoring (RPM). The goal of this paper is to review the available evidence and assess the scope of RPM integration into standard practices for care and management of chronic disease in general and, more specifically, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Recent Findings

RPM has been associated with improvements in health outcomes and indicators across a broad range of chronic diseases. However, there is limited data on the effectiveness of RPM in IBD care. From the emerging literature and body of research, we found promising results about the feasibility of integrating RPM in IBD care and RPM’s capacity to support IBD improvement in key process and outcome metrics.

Summary

Concerns regarding privacy and provider acceptability have limited the mass integration of RPM to date. However, with the healthcare industry’s move toward value-based population care and the advent of novel payment models for RPM reimbursement, the adoption of RPM into standard IBD care practices will likely increase as the technology continues to improve and become a mainstream tool for healthcare delivery in the near future.

     

Weather changes and pain in rheumatology patients

Objective: Many rheumatology patients report exacerbation of joint symptoms with weather changes. We report the first of a two‐part study on the influence of weather on rheumatological conditions. This survey aims to describe perceived weather sensitivity in our patient population. Methods: Two hundred rheumatology patients seen consecutively in a tertiary hospital were given a 10‐item questionnaire (Jamieson). This questionnaire has been well validated with good test‐retest reliability (r = 0.91) and ability to distinguish patients with weather sensitivity. New patients and soft tissue clinic patients were not included. Results: Seventy‐four percent of patients reported weather sensitivity, with humidity and low temperature reported most frequently as being associated with worsening of symptoms (66% and 72%, respectively). Seventy percent of weather sensitive subjects described pain exacerbation prior and/or during weather changes. Various rheumatological conditions had similar rates of weather sensitivity, except fibromyalgia which reported 100% weather sensitivity. Conclusion: A significant proportion of rheumatology patients report weather sensitivities. Further studies would be useful to further explore actual versus perceived effects of weather as this may have behavioural, housing and medical implications. Our discussion includes a brief summary of current literature and various postulates why patients may have increased weather sensitivity.     

Isolated tuberculosis of the pancreas diagnosed with needle aspiration: a case report and review of the literature.

Pancreatic tuberculosis is very rare, especially in immunocompetent patients, and represents a diagnostic challenge. The clinical features in patients with pancreatic tuberculosis are usually non-specific. The radiological features mimic pancreatic malignancy or pancreatitis. We describe a case of pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking carcinoma on Computed tomography scan. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) showed caseating granulomatous inflammation. The diagnosis of pancreatic tuberculosis was made and the patient was put on anti-tubercular therapy. Five months later, a repeat CT scan of the abdomen revealed resolution of the pancreatic lesion. We emphasize that tuberculosis should now be included in the differential diagnosis of a pancreatic mass. Diagnostic indicators include the association of a pancreatic mass with fever, the presence of abdominal pain and a cystic pancreatic mass in a younger patient coming from a region where tuberculosis is endemic.     

Mitral valve replacement with chordal preservation in a rheumatic population

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Mitral valve replacement (MVR) with preservation of the subvalvular apparatus may maintain postoperative left ventricular (LV) function better than conventional MVR. A prospective study was undertaken to assess the advantages of chordal preservation in rheumatic patients undergoing isolated MVR. METHODS: Between January 1996 and January 1999, 240 patients with rheumatic etiology and normal LV ejection fraction (>50%) underwent isolated MVR using a St. Jude Medical prosthesis. Patients were allocated to two groups: in group I (n = 168), both the anterior and posterior chordae were preserved; in group II (n = 72), the entire native mitral valve apparatus was excised. Patients from both groups were evaluated postoperatively (mean 12.5 months) by echocardiography and treadmill testing. RESULTS: Demographic and clinical profiles were comparable in both groups. There were three early deaths in group I, and one in group II. There were no late deaths. One patient in group I required reoperation for a stuck mitral prosthesis. LV function (ejection fraction >50%) was better in group I (94%) than in group II (82%) (p <0.05). No patient in either group had LV outflow tract obstruction on echocardiography. Patients in group I showed better exercise performance on treadmill (Bruce protocol): 92% of group I patients versus 88% of group II patients (p >0.05) completed stage I; 16% of group I patients, but no group II patients, were able to complete stage IV (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Mitral valve replacement with preservation of the subvalvular apparatus maintains LV function, and does not cause LV outflow tract obstruction.